Chapter Two: An Encounter on the Road

Sanqing Mountain—this was the name his master had whispered to him before dying. Of course, as a cultivator, Yue Qi was no stranger to this sect. Situated within the lands of Bashu, Sanqing Mountain was home to the renowned Sanqing Sect, a legendary sanctuary for cultivators. To be admitted there was the highest honor, and all orthodox sects deferred to Sanqing as their leader. With Yue Qi’s limited talent, however, his entry into the Qinghe Sword Sect was luck enough; he could scarcely dream of joining Sanqing.

His name, Yue Qi, had been chosen for its simplicity—his parents had opted for convenience. The Yue family hailed from Yue Village, the closest settlement to the Qinghe Sword Sect, where nearly everyone bore the surname Yue. In his family, he was the seventh child, the youngest among seven siblings, and thus was showered with affection. He never lacked for food or clothing; his family had even scraped together enough to send him to a private school, hoping he’d bring honor by passing the imperial examinations.

But Yue Qi had little interest in scholarly pursuits. Instead, he was fascinated by tales of demons and spirits, his imagination soaring. Well-fed and lively, he exuded a certain spiritual charm his older siblings lacked.

It so happened that year that disciples from the Qinghe Sword Sect came down the mountain to purchase supplies. By chance, one of them noticed Yue Qi and casually remarked that, with his aptitude, he might be fit for cultivation. The words were offhand; Yue Qi’s potential barely met the threshold for a cultivator, and further progress would be a steep climb. Yet, when his parents heard, they were beside themselves with excitement. To think their own son might ascend to immortality! Cultivators were beings who soared through the skies and traversed a thousand miles in an instant. Such glory far outshone any academic achievements.

Thus, when the Qinghe Sword Sect next opened its gates to new disciples, Yue Qi entered the sect without hindrance. Of course, he never mastered feats like flying through the air; he gained only the most rudimentary grasp of the Five Elemental Arts.

These arts—wind, thunder, water, fire, and earth—were not difficult, being the foundation of all cultivation. Yue Qi’s skills were modest, limited to the simplest spells. For instance, he had just used the Water Command Spell against the zombies, and earlier, on the mountain, he’d drawn their attention with the Thunder Command Spell.

“The village below is stricken too. It seems this isn’t the work of demons attacking the mountain. I’d better go home and see for myself…” Seeing the devastation below, Yue Qi grew uneasy. He’d been at Qinghe Sword Sect for three years without once returning home. Now he could only pray that the people of Yue Village were safe.

Yue Village was neither far nor near, but it was the closest settlement to the sect’s mountain range. To reach it, one had to cross several mountains. When Yue Qi first went to join the sect, it took him three days and nights just to reach the foot of the mountain.

After resting for a while in the thatched hut, Yue Qi tried to recover his energy. The past three days had been exhausting—almost all the Qinghe disciples on the main road had turned into zombies. Once, he’d come across a lone zombie—just a gatekeeper, by the look of him—and, feeling bold, had tried to provoke it. To his shock, the zombie attacked with reckless abandon, hurling spells with terrifying speed—what once required time to cast now erupted instantly. Yue Qi had no way to withstand such onslaught and had to flee for his life, escaping only when the zombie’s spiritual energy was spent.

After that, he avoided zombies as much as possible, keeping to side paths. He dared not drink from mountain streams nor eat wild fruit, fearing he might become a zombie himself. Hungry and weary, he’d spent three days making his way down the mountain.

The situation below was better than above. At least the zombies he encountered were ordinary people, unable to wield spells like the zombified cultivators. Killing them was much easier—or so it was for Yue Qi.

“Ah!” A sudden scream snapped him from his tangled thoughts. He leapt up from the bed in the hut and peered cautiously through the window.

Outside, two zombies in Qinghe disciple uniforms were attacking a woman with spells. She wore the robes of an elder! “At minimum, she must have reached the stage of Harmonization. How could she be struggling with two zombies at the Qi Refining stage? Did she just steal an elder’s robe?” Yue Qi mused. It was the only explanation that made sense. Looking closer, he saw that one of the zombies had already exhausted its spiritual power and was attacking the woman purely on instinct. She fended them off desperately with her sword, already in a sorry state.

“Could she just be an ordinary person?” Yue Qi frowned. He hadn’t intended to meddle, but the zombies were nearly spent, and he’d just had a rest—was this not a perfect chance to play the hero?

The thought sent his blood pounding. Gripping his sword, Yue Qi dashed outside.

But there’s a saying: “To show off comes at a price.” The moment he stepped out, his foot landed on the corpse of a zombie he’d killed earlier. He stumbled and fell right between the two zombies and the woman.

The woman was momentarily stunned. She’d felt a surge of hope at the sight of someone charging out, but his less-than-heroic entrance left her speechless.

Zombies, of course, cared nothing for such things. Sensing new prey, they lunged at Yue Qi.

“Ahhh!” Yue Qi squeezed his eyes shut and held his sword horizontally before him. Zombies were ferocious but not clever; the first one bit straight into the blade, which sliced through its jaw. He sighed in relief—his attempt to show off had nearly cost him, but quick thinking had saved him.

Sword in one hand, he raised the other in a spellcasting gesture.

“Wind, come!” With the Wind Command Spell, his body felt lighter. He scrambled to his feet, pulling his sword free.

“Are you all right?” he called to the woman behind him, trying to salvage his dignity despite his awkward entrance.

“I—I’m fine,” she stammered, still stunned by the scene.

Yue Qi was about to say more when the woman cried out, “Look out! They’re coming!”

Indeed, the two zombies, seeing their prey escape, howled and charged at Yue Qi once more. Both had exhausted their spiritual power and were now little different from ordinary zombies. Though he’d been unnerved by the spell-casting zombies, Yue Qi was not afraid of these. He pulled the woman behind him and advanced with his sword.

“Freeze!” he intoned, pointing at one of the zombies. Instantly, its legs were locked in place. Its upper body, still propelled by momentum, toppled it to the ground.

Yue Qi wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip by, but the second zombie was already upon him. He thrust his sword at its heart, but the zombie barely reacted, continuing forward as Yue Qi’s blade sank deeper. It had little effect.

“Behead it!” came a cool female voice from behind. Yue Qi understood at once. Abandoning his sword, he leapt backwards, retreating seven steps.

Though the blow hadn’t finished it, the zombie’s speed slowed. Black blood oozed from its chest, chilling to behold.

Yue Qi had no time to dwell on that. He quickly recited a spell.

“Explode!” At his command, a deep blue ball of lightning shot from his fingertip, smashing into the zombie’s head with a resounding bang. Its skull was blown to pieces, black blood splattering everywhere. Fortunately, Yue Qi and the woman had kept their distance.

He exhaled softly, thinking the ordeal over. But his Water Command Spell had worn off; the other zombie rushed at him again.

“Damn!” His sword was still on the ground, and after three days without food, he was weak, with barely enough energy for another spell. But the zombie was unrelenting, enraged by Yue Qi’s actions, and charged even faster.

At that moment, a voice called out behind him, “Catch!”

Startled, Yue Qi nonetheless reacted swiftly, reaching back to grasp the hilt of a sword—a true treasure, cold and keen in his hand. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a fine sword!” He’d wielded swords for years and could tell this one was leagues above his own, perhaps even of magical grade.

With this weapon, his confidence returned. He no longer feared the zombie. Pouring his remaining spiritual power into the blade, he struck at the zombie’s head.

A soft sound—a clean slice. The zombie’s skull split in two and it collapsed, twitching twice before falling still.

Yue Qi finally breathed easy, though his head spun with dizziness—he had overdrawn his strength.

Remembering the sword in his hand, he admired its power but steadied himself and approached the woman.

“Thank you, miss—”

“Why are you still able to use the Five Elemental Arts?!” the woman cut him off before he could finish.